La Zona Cafetera
zona cafetera 1.jpg zona cafetera 2.jpg zona cafetera 3.jpg zona cafetera 4.jpg zona cafetera 5.jpg zona cafetera 6.jpg zona cafetera 7.jpg zona cafetera 8.jpg Introduction One of Colombia's exports that is famous the world over is coffee. The centre of coffee production in the country is concentrated in the fertile Western slopes of the Cordillera Central, located in the departments of Caldas, Quindío and Risaralda. The area is dotted with coffee plantations and the best way to enjoy the Zona Cafetera is to stay in one of the many plantations. You can see the coffee making process during the harvest period of October to December, but the excellent coffee is available around the year. Since the region caters mainly to domestic tourists, things do get more hectic during weekends, and quieter during the week. Location *Manizales 5°06′N 75°33′W 168 kilometres West of Bogotá. *Pereira 4°48′51.4″N 75°41′40.41″W 180 kilometres West of Bogotá. *Armenia 4°31′43″N 75°42′15″W 177 kilometres West of Bogotá. Things to Do *Parque Nacional del Café 4°32′24″N 75°46′12″W A theme park located 4 kilometres Southwest of Montenegro or 11 kilometres West of Armenia. It consists of two main areas: by the main entrance are the buildings housing the museum and exhibitions detailing the history, culture and process of growing and producing coffee; and in the valley beyond is an amusement park with rides and shows. The two areas are linked by a cable car (gondola lift): it is also possible to walk between the two areas via an ecological trail that passes through a plantation of many varieties of coffee bushes. *Understanding the entire coffee production process at a Finca or coffee plantation. *Taking in the natural beauty and chilling out. Weather La Zona Cafetera experiences a humid tropical climate tempered by the altitude. The weather is mild year round, with rainfall throughout the year. June to August are the driest months, with another dry spell from December to February. Getting There & Away Manizales is served by La Nubia Airport, 8 kilometres Southeast of the city. However, the services of the airport are severely limited by both the short runway (that limits planes to small turboprops) and the weather. AIRES and Avianca have flights to Bogotá, while Aerolínea de Antioquia flies to Medellín. Matecaña International Airport serves Pereira. Avianca , AIRES and SATENA fly to Bogotá, while AIRES , SATENA and Aerolínea de Antioquia fly to Medellín. In addition, Aexpa flies to Cali, Condoto and Quibdó, and Copa Airlines Colombia flies to Panama City. Located 20 minutes from Armenia, El Edén International Airport is the closest airport to the city. Avianca, AIRES and EasyFly all fly to Bogotá, while Aerolínea de Antioquia flies to Medellín and Spirit Airlines serves Fort Lauderdale. Manizales, Pereira and Armenia are connected by the Autopista del Cafe. From Bogotá's bus station, journeys to Manizales and Armenia are 8 hours, and those to Pereira take 9 hours. From Medellín, Manizales and Armenia are 6 hours away, while Pereira is 7. Accommodation Many fincas or coffee plantations offer accommodation, and a local website, Turismo Quindio has up-to-date information on accommodation on offer (from the budget to luxury choices). Many of the more upmarket fincas have swimming pools and restaurants. Category:La Zona Cafetera Category:Colombia Category:Colombian Andean Highlands